Baked Hervey Bay Scallops with Pernod Cream Sauce

Ingredients

1 Dozen Hervey Bay Scallops in the Shell

½ Small Brown Onion, finely chopped

1 Clove Garlic, finely chopped

1 tbls Olive Oil

30 gm Butter

100 gm Baby Spinach Leaves

300 ml Cream

50 ml White Wine

30 ml Pernod

1 tsp Lemon Juice

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

½ Cup Gruyere Cheese, grated

1 tbls Parsley, chopped

Method

Gently remove the scallops from the shells, pat the shells dry and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

In a medium sized frypan over a medium heat add the olive oil, pan fry the scallops for one minute on each side and remove from the pan, set aside. Add the baby spinach leaves to the pan and sauté for one minute or until wilted, remove from pan and set aside.

Add the butter to the pan, sauté the onion and garlic until soft and fragrant, add the Pernod and white wine, flame off the alcohol. Add the cream and lemon juice and allow the cream to simmer until the sauce has thickened, season with sea salt and black pepper, taste and adjust seasoning if required.

Place some of the wilted spinach in each shell and place a scallop on top of the spinach, spoon over the hot Pernod cream sauce, sprinkle over the cheese and grill under a griller until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.

Sprinkle over the parsley and serve immediately.

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